9 Lives

This work creates a sense of peace within the machinations of everyday life. The inspiration was originally an exploration of a simple line/movement across the canvas but as I continued to work, covering up and building, I realised I had unintentionally created a moving object, hence the title 9 Lives in reference to the catfish shape of the swirl. The image also refers to the view down over the water as you fly away from your island holiday destination. I entered this in the Brunswick Street Gallery's 50squared exhibition. Because it is a small work, it would suit many situations, creating a lift in a home office for those contemplative moments when you need to rest your eyes from the screen.

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Sydney-based abstract painter, vee_sage, learnt photography, printing her own black and white photos in the darkroom before we went digital. She began experimenting with new techniques, using solarisation (in the style of Man Ray) and hand colouring black and white photos with oil paints. At this point she coined the term photo-painting and showed her work in New Zealand.
Her interest in art was inspired by the work of the abstract expressionists, which she discovered through an Art History course at Auckland University. Many years later, after dabbling in various creative pursuits, she decided that she wanted to learn to paint and that learning to draw would be a great place to start. Her self-directed learning had to fit in around her day job and this meant workshops during the weekend or evenings.
Her move towards abstraction was inspired by a workshop in 2018 in Melbourne by Titane Laurent. Having the opportunity to share in and be inspired directly by another artist gave her the confidence to realize that her natural direction was towards abstraction. She has been working through the challenges of this ever since.